One of Colorado’s reintroduced wolves wandered into Rocky Mountain National Park this month, the first time one has been present in the park since the state released wolves in December.

A collared animal “spent some time” in the park in August, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s monthly update on wolf locations released Wednesday.

The map released Wednesday shows a wolf roaming in watershed areas near U.S. 34 in the northwestern part of the national park. The road – called Trail Ridge Road in the park – traverses the park from east to west, crossing the high alpine terrain of the Continental Divide.

Rocky Mountain National Park officials assumed that the reintroduced wolves would eventually migrate into the park, where they had previously been a native species.

At least one wolf was also seen in a watershed along Colorado 14 in Poudre Canyon south of Red Feather Lakes. All of the state’s known wolves still live north of Interstate 70, CPW officials said.

Colorado is home to 11 confirmed adult wolves: nine released in December as part of the reintroduction program mandated by the state’s voters, and two are the remnants of a pack that formed after the natural migration of wolves from Wyoming. The state released 10 wolves in December, but one died this spring, likely killed by a mountain lion.

Two of the reintroduced wolves have mated and given birth to at least three pups this spring, but state wildlife officials announced Tuesday they would capture and relocate the pack after a series of livestock raids.

It is unclear where the pack – the so-called Copper Creek Pack – will be taken and whether the wolves will be released into the wild or kept in a sanctuary.

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